Biography: Luke Garlick is a rising junior in the Economics department at UCLA. He is committed to his studies and executive position in the Bruin Capital Management investment club on campus. The past two years have taken him far from home, both physically and metaphorically. Hailing from a small rural town nestled in the redwoods of far Northern California, moving to LA was a rapid change of pace and climate, as well as a step into an unknown but much anticipated future. Growing up in a small, economically disadvantaged community, he didn’t fully realize how little he understood of the world and its possibilities. Moving to LA, and living, studying, and working with a diverse body of students from around the world, often with drastically different life experiences, and experiencing fantastic professors has made Luke realize how big the world is and that he can be part of helping to shape that world.

Future Plans: Luke is looking forward to applying for internships and programs throughout this academic year and the following summer. His plans include continuing to love and embrace his economics classes, pursuing a Data Science Engineering minor, and continuing his leadership role with his club. His interest in the economy and its intersection with the investing world will lead Luke throughout his college career and internships into the post-grad world. After graduation and the completion of internships, Luke is hoping to work for companies in the AI/autonomy field and possibly pursuing a future MBA. His ultimate aspirations lie in solving large economic, social, and environmental issues. Issues like how to retool workers for new roles in the A.I. future, how to build and expand our population centers without straining services, and how to build out infrastructure so that vast natural resources like wind and solar energy can be not only harvested but transmitted.

What this scholarship means to me? I cannot express enough gratitude for receiving this scholarship. After a hard two years of acclimating to college life, studying, and getting involved in my UCLA community, receiving this scholarship is really exciting, and my family is thrilled and proud. This significant financial contribution will help me continue my academic career, a rewarding but rather expensive endeavor, but one greatly aided not only by the generosity of Mr. Donald Lipschutz’s family and loved ones but also by the fabric of UCLA. This scholarship means much more to me than just helping to pay for school. Studying and stressing for a big test, rushing to finish assignments to not miss out on valuable time with friends and family, and making tough prioritizations are all costs of investing in your academics. These are costs that I do not take lightly and sometimes they feel like a very personal sacrifice for a grade entry in a database. This scholarship helps lighten that load. Instead of feeling regretful for missing out, I feel seen.

Biography: Nebiyyu Bekele is a dedicated individual with a passion for finance and economics. Originally from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Nebiyyu is currently a rising junior pursuing a degree in Business Economics and Statistics with a concentration in Value Investing. His academic journey has ignited a desire to work in the field of finance, particularly in investment banking, where he seeks to harness his analytical skills and market insights to make a meaningful impact. With a long-term goal of transitioning into private equity, Nebiyyu is excited to leverage his education and experiences to contribute to the dynamic world of finance and investment.

Future Plans: After graduating from UCLA, Nebiyyu plans to work in investment banking for a span of two years. This initial phase of his career will serve as a strategic move to gain invaluable experience and, equally importantly, accumulate the necessary financial resources to fund his journey to business school. Investment banking offers an ideal platform to hone his financial analysis skills, learn about various industries, and develop a strong foundation in finance. Following his two-year stint in investment banking, Nebiyyu aspires to transition to the buy side of finance, specifically aiming for roles in private equity or hedge funds. These fields align perfectly with his long-term career goals. He is drawn to the dynamic nature of these industries, where strategic investments and financial acumen drive decision-making is prominent. This transition represents the next step in his professional development, where he will apply the knowledge and skills acquired during his time in investment banking to contribute meaningfully to the world of private equity or hedge funds. Ultimately, Nebiyyu sees this path as a stepping stone towards achieving his career aspirations in the financial industry.

What this scholarship means to me? Receiving this scholarship is incredibly meaningful to me. It’s a practical boost that will help ease some of the financial stress that comes with pursuing higher education. With rising tuition and living costs, this scholarship will cover essential expenses, like textbooks and part of my tuition, which will allow me to focus more on my studies and less on financial concerns. Moreover, this scholarship serves as a valuable affirmation of my efforts. It tells me that someone out there believes in my potential and is willing to support me on my educational journey. It motivates me to continue working hard and strive for success in my academic pursuits. This scholarship is a practical and motivational aid that will make a significant difference in my education, and I am genuinely appreciative of this opportunity.

Biography: Catherine is a 3rd-year student majoring in Business Economics at UCLA. Having been involved in community service since high school, she has continued to volunteer for her community through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) organization, which also spurred her interest in tax as a career. This year, she will be serving as one of the co-presidents and looks to expand VITA’s partnership to a larger community within Los Angeles. In addition to volunteering, she also spends her Friday nights rehearsing with the Game Music Ensemble (GME). In her free time, she enjoys reading or playing through endless runs of Hades.

Future Plans: Following the 2023 – 2024 academic year, Catherine will be interning with Deloitte’s tax practice. Upon graduation, she aims to pass her CPA exams and pursue a career in either international tax or in state and local tax.

What this scholarship means to me? I am immensely grateful to have been selected as a recipient for the Donald Lipschutz Scholarship. I would also like to thank Ms. Marugo for continuing this amazing scholarship. The scholarship will help alleviate financial costs and I hope to continue to give back to my community during my time here at UCLA.

Biography: Since high school, Aaron has shown an interest in economics. He enjoyed the critical thinking and analysis of business decisions and strategy, how different components of both individual and international businesses interacted and how it was this one big complicated system. The theories he learned gave him a new way of thinking and allowed him to really consider factors that no one ever really did. Although initially deciding on becoming an accountant, he quickly switched aspirations to become an analyst on the business side. To help support that, he chose to minor in Data Science Engineering and to learn more about tech and computer science. His journey in tech and computer science was faced with struggles as he never coded before in his life but after a few classes and YouTube videos on python, R studio, C++, and SQL, he quickly built a portfolio of projects. He applies what he’s learned with Foundations Choreography, a dance organization on campus examining data of members, financial health of the organization, and managing data of audition processes and deliberations. Aaron’s current goal is to further enrich his knowledge in tech by obtaining a master’s in CS and hopefully become a data scientist or engineer.

Future Plans: Although initially wanting to become an accountant, Aaron has long since steered away from that career goal as he feels more fulfilled doing analytical work for companies instead. Wishing to pivot into the field of data science and computer science, he has taken courses in C++, R studio, data science, and self-taught himself python, SQL, HTML/CSS, and JavaScript. Currently, his aspirations are to become a data scientist or engineer, working around data and analyzing data to create models predicting trends, analyzing behavior, or discovering new patterns. After undergrad, he intends to be working as an analyst for a company whilst taking courses in computer science at a community college. Hopefully, he will also take the GRE and apply for grad school and obtain a MBA/MCS.

What this scholarship means to me? Coming to UCLA, I knew that college would be expensive, and living in LA would be more expensive and realistically, I couldn’t just stay in my apartment, attend class, eat at home and sleep or else the college experience would’ve been one with regrets and misery. I believe that no college experience should solely just be for educational purposes, part of the implicit monetary value in going to college is the unique experiences and people you will meet. Memories are part of the college experience one could say. I am in a very privileged position in which my parents and family are able to fund my entire college journey with the help of some financial aid and grants of course, but I can see how this is creating a toll. Recently, my family accumulated costs as my family down-sized and moved back into our small house in Rowland Heights and needed to pay for renovations. My sister is also starting grad school soon and family members overseas are facing health issues which requires us to send money over there. With me still going to college, I wanted to be able to help my family so I applied for this scholarship. I am forever grateful to receive the Patricia and Harry L Bruce scholarship to help afford my tuition and lessen the burden on my parents. Furthermore, this would help me with my goals as I took this summer to take classes in order to prepare for grad school as I realized towards the end of my junior year I wanted to enrich my skills and knowledge and take my academic and professional career to the next level by obtaining a MBA or a MCS. I realized the opportunity cost of working would’ve given me money to help my parents, but they are so proud of me for wanting to go to grad school and assured me that there is no financial issue with me choosing to go to grad school. This is why I am very thankful to receive this scholarship, It will significantly help me achieve my own goals while simultaneously helping my family.